Ace Combat: Frozen Winds and Burnt Skies
by leonardo1123581321
Summary: Albert Genette writes an article about a war that cast every pilot from every nation from the Ace Combat games against one another. In this article each pilot givers their own account and personal feelings.
1. A Southern King

Disclaimer: I stake no claim to the Ace Combat Universe.

Story by: Leonardo1123581321

The Osean Times are proud to present an article by distinguished journalist Albert Gennete, who covered the Circum-Pacific Conflict and the Aurelian-Leasath War. As part of the papers 100th anniversary, Albert has worked secretly on an article covering "The War" and the many distinguished ace pilots who served in it.

**Ace Combat  
Frozen Winds and Burnt Skies**

_A Generation of Aces_

An Article by: Albert Gennete

Reflection

Painful memories arise when one remembers "The War", as it is now called. The first war on a full global scale; it has left its mark everywhere. There are no heroes or villains in any war, since noone's reasons are right or wrong in it. To justify "The War" is to justify all that it evil. As I sit here writing this article, I remind myself how many people gave their lives fighting in it. This article isn't for my gain. Instead I write it in memory of all those who died in its service. I would like to take this moment to remember my dear friends: Eugene 'Crux' Solano, Alvin 'Chopper' Davenport, Marcus 'Swordsman' Snow and Wolfgang 'Pops' Buchner. Each of them died in combat. Alvin was shot down over the Osean city of Novemeber City. Eugene, Marcus and Wolfgang were all killed in 'The Coliseum'.

I started this article in the hopes of finding the one who shot down Marcus, Pops and Eugene. The one called: "Oranos 1", who was responsible for the death of many aces in "The War". Everyone lost something to this war, and to all of them I send my condolences and prayers. This article is for all those who lost a loved one in this forsaken conflict.

Part I

"A Southern King"

Gryphus 1 or "La Cruz del Sur" as he is called in Aurelia, and the hero of the southern hemisphere was one of few aces who survived the war. He is also remembered as one of the survivors of "The Coliseum".

"What is 'The Coliseum'?" I asked him during my trip to Griswall. The former ace gave me a confused look when I asked him, "It's the place where the war's greatest battles were fought. Over 200 aces flew at that one spot."

He went silent for a moment, "25 survived it. Myself included but I was one of 15 who left with our planes damaged."

Coliseum, the sight of conflict during "The War", is a 300 square mile valley near the North Pole. A few years earlier, Yuktobanian scientists discovered a massive reserve of resources at the top of the world during a time when natural resources had been nearly diminished. Coliseum is inhabited by subzero temperatures, dropping close to 95 below zero. Since the region is near unapproachable by foot, countries sent their air power to stake their claim at the natrual resources. Any pilot unfortunate to survive being shot down would either freeze to death or be eaten by the few animals which are able to survive there before conditions could favor a rescue mission. Gryphus 1 began to explain Oranos 1's first appearance.

His eyes are watery. Maybe it's a mix of despair and anger. I explained he didn't have to do the interview if he felt uncomfortable but he persisted. Oranos 1 was an ace pilot who showed no allegiance to any country or alliance during "The War". The only thing any military and political figure remembers of him is how much money countries spent replacing the planes he destroyed. Others remember his rather remarkable kill count. Because of that, he became known as Gladiator. Gryphus 1 explained to me Gladiator's first appearance.

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Coliseum  
Controlling Faction: Aurelia-Leasath Treaty  
Date: May 2035  
1605, Aurelian Standard Time

"Gryphus 1, intercept enemy fighters and secure air superiority," Crux cried over the radio. From his Fenrir he could make out the forms of several F-16s, F-35s, F-22s, F-14s and F-15s. There were about 50 of them.

"Copy that," he declared, "Falco 1, watch my six. Fly close and keep any hostiles off me. Let's send these Ustians running home to their mothers!"

"Roger," he answered. Falco Squadron flew behind Gryphus 1 in white YF-23s Along side their formation several F-22s climbed along side: The Aquila squadron. Aquila 3 asked, "Do you think we can take on these many pilots?"

"Of course we can, why couldn't we?" Falco 3 roared from his plane. The battle would be completely one-sided. 50 against 11 isn't very fair to begin with.

"Yeah, we got the Southern Cross! He's worth at least a hundred of these guys!" Falco 5 added. Gryphus 1 could only chuckle at this compliment. He scanned the skies again, "Here come the Leasathians!"

Nine Su-32s, with a Fenrir in the lead, joined the formation, "This is Alect 0 to the Southern Cross. Think we can take them?"

"We'll be fine. Just watch out for their sidewinders and the cannon fire. If you see a plane with a single red wing let me know," Gryphus 1 explained.

"So the Ustians hired the Demon Lord and Solo Wing?" Alect 0 asked. Gryphus 1 never answered, he was too busy pulling right to avoid a missile. His onboard defense system declared a missile alert. He scanned the skies again, seeing the same missile turn around and come right back for him. By this time the two groups of planes had met in battle.

Around him, planes were being shot down. In the confusion a F-15 with a single red wing had gotten behind Gryphus 1. His radio began to pick up the enemy communications. He wished he knew why it did that.

"Hey buddy, I'm right behind the lead plane," Gryphus 1 turned sharp to the left, narrowly avoiding cannon fire from this plane.

"This is Falco 4! I can't eject! It's ja-" a YF-23 exploded, its flaming wreckage colliding with an F-22. Both planes went in opposite directions, the balls of fire falling to the Earth below.

"Aquila 2 converge with Aquila 3, we'll catch this guy in the cross fire!"

Gryphus 1 took this moment to realize he had the perfect shot at an F-16. He pulled the trigger, riddling the plane with bullets. The pilot ejected before his plane exploded.

"Good kill!"

"Galm 2, watch my 6. I'm going after 'The Southern Cross'," Gryphus 1's radio was catching the enemy's radio again. He looked behind him, 2 F-15s were closing in on him. The lead F-15 launched two missiles prematurely despite being out of an effective range. The Fenrir's guidance system began to grow fuzzy.

"Falco 1, clear my 6!"

"I got them!" he answered. Falco 1 got behind the two planes, "Fox two!"

Two missiles launched themselves from his plane. The F-15s broke from their pursuit to avoid the missiles and chased after two new targets.

"Thanks!" Gryphus 1 said. As he pulled away from the two missiles, his guidance system cleared up. He fired his cannon again at an F-22. It barrel-rolled and avoided all the shots. Then it pulled up high into the air, Gryphus decreased his speed and followed after it.

"I can't shake him!" the pilot cried. Gryphus 1 let loose a missile. The missile collided with his rudder. The plane spiraled downward, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.

"Oh God! Help me!" the pilot screamed as his plane disappeared beneath the clouds. Something struck the plane, since it exploded into a flower of fire. A blue Gripen-C emerged from the blanket of the clouds. Emblazoned on the tail was a white cloud over a blue sky. Underneath this emblem were the words Oranos 1.

"Gryphus 1, unknown aircraft inbound," Crux said. Gryphus 1 nodded and pulled behind the plane. The plane climbed higher until it joined the massive aerial duel. Gryphus 1 trailed the blue Gripen throughout the entire battle, trying to see what the pilot was aiming for. He tailed it, watching as the pilot excellently shot down 3 F-22s on the Ustian side of the battle.

"Galm 2, I'll take this new guy. Watch for that 'Southern Cross'!" Galm 1 cried from his radio. Gryphus 1 tapped the radio, _why do you keep picking up their communications?_ Gryphus 1 was soon joined by Galm 1 in their pursuit of the Gripen. A single red winged F-15 pulled behind Gryphus 1 again and he was forced to break away from the blue plane. This time, Falco 1 couldn't answer his call for help.

"Gryphus 1! Tell my son I might not get home for a while. Tell him I'll be back before war's end," Falco 1 answered his call. Gryphus scanned the sky for his plane, only to see the Gripen C shoot him down. Falco 1, the idiot, ejected before the ordinance hit the plane. He released the parachute and disappeared below the cloud cover.

"Attention all allied aircraft, Oranos 1 is hostile! I repeat, the blue Gripen-C is hostile!"

"Roger. Alect 4 and 6! Converge on Oranos 1, we'll trap this bastar-" Alect 0's plane collided with the wing of an F-22, both went tumbling to the Earth below. Gryphus 1 pulled hard after Oranos 1 while trying to keep Galm 2 from shooting him down.

"Warning! The enemy is locked on," the Defense System said. Gryphus 1 rolled his eyes and arched upwards into the sun. Galm 2 broke from his pursuit and instead went after Oranos 1. He sighed, "Gryphus 1 to all allied aircraft check in."

"Falco 2 clear."

"Falco 3 cl..." his plane was ripped apart by bullets.

"Falco 5 clear."

"Aquila 3 clear."

"Aquila 4 clear."

"Aquila 6 clear."

"Alect 3 clear."

"Alect 5 clear."

"Alect 6 clear."

"Alect 8 clear."

"Alect 4 clear."

"Crux, we can't secure air superiority with these odds," Gryphus 1 explained, "We need to pull out!"

"Give me a minute," Crux said. A Su-32 burst into flames along side Gryphus 1's plane, "We don't have a minute."

"Hold on," Crux continued. Gryphus arced right and shot down two F-35s with cannon fire, "Just give us the damn clearance!"

"My hands are tied, sir."

There were a few minutes of silence during which Alect 4, Aquila 3 and Falco 2 were shot down. Gryphus 1 took his revenge by shooting down 10 of the enemy planes but was interrupted from shooting down his eleventh by Crux, "Okay, you have clearance. Abort the mission."

"Understood," The Aurelia-Leasath Treaty planes broke from the fight and changed their heading to the Aurelian air base. The Ustians, however, were not willing to allow survivors, "Kill them all!"

Whoever said this was blown to pieces when the forgotten Gripen appeared from the sky, Galm squadron still tailing him. Gryphus 1 turned his plane around, "I'm going to distract their pursuing force. All aircraft maintain current bearing."

"Understood," they chimed in unison.

Gryphus 1 pulled hard left and faced the oncoming planes. After a quick tally, he counted 23 planes, mostly F-35s and F-14s. He checked his missile reserve and counted 2 missiles left. His guns had more than enough ammo though. Gryphus 1 let loose some cannon fire and managed to shoot down a F-14. It tumbled from the enemy formation and collided with an F-22. Both planes disappeared in a ball of flames.

"What, the Southern Cross is taking us on by himself?" one of the enemy planes called.

"That idiot has got to be crazy!" another said.

"Don't get cocky. This guy shot down the mega weapon Gleipnir!"

"So? He's one pilot. Besides, we have the Demon Lord."

Gryphus 1 increased the speed of his plane. By now, every enemy plane had locked on to him and fired two missiles. He swirved, dived, and arched out of the way of as many as he could, but some of them went off close to his plane.

"Warning! Left wing not responding! Eject now!" The Defense System called.

"SHUT UP!" Gryphus 1 cried at the computer. He fought to keep the plane in the air, but his plane only fell lower and lower.

"Alright, we got him!" one of the pilots called.

Gryphus 1 swore. He turned his plane around. There was no more point in staying, if he couldn't keep his plane in the air.

"Shoot him down!" someone ordered. Gryphus looked behind him to see 'Solo Wing' right behind him.

"Warning! The Enemy is Locked On," The Defense System stated. Gryphus 1 closed his eyes. This was it. The alarm went off loudly. He was going to get killed. _Dammit! _He thought. He tried to swerve out of the way, but the plane refused to respond. He was going to die.

"I got your back buddy!" Alect 5 cried. From out of the blue, Alect 5 zoomed by and fired several missiles at 'Solo Wing'. The F-15 broke away from the chase and pulled back.

"What's going on Alect 5? I ordered you to return to base!" Gryphus 1 said.

"What no thank you? And here I thought I should save you from being shot down. You owe me one."

Gryphus 1 rolled his eyes, "We need to retreat now. Enemy presence is too great."

"Roger." The two planes returned back to the Air Base.

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As Gryphus 1 finished his story, I found myself in shock. Having covered the Aurelia-Leasath War, I knew just how good the Southern Cross really was. To know someone had overpowered him and forced him to retreat came as a real surprise for me. He said Falco 1 never returned, even though he had promised his son he would. It was his duty to tell the families of the shot down pilots the fate of their loved ones. He said, "What hurt me the most was having to see the families who brought the little kids. Kids who would soon learn they would never see their mother or father or brother or sister ever again."

I ended the conversation there and thanked him for the interview. He told me he knew I was searching for Oranos 1, who would be the highlight of this article. He advised me to give up since no one had ever seen where Oranos 1's plane came from. It always disappeared as it left the Coliseum. Apparently, I wasn't the first reporter who tried to track him down. Several had attempted during the 'War'. Some destroyed themselves in their search. Others were driven into insanity. I left his apartment shortly afterwards.

According to the documentation the Aurelian Government released after the war: Aurelia and Leasath soon created Gryphus Squadron. They consisted of the 11 surviving aces of that battle which lost them 'The Coliseum'. Shortly after Aurelia-Leasath lost that valuable piece of territory, it fell into the hands of the Triple Alliance, whose member nations were Ustio, Belka and Sapin. Knowing who came into possession of Coliseum next, I headed for Directus, the capital of Ustio, in the hopes of finding the next ace on my list.


	2. A Forgotten Hero

Disclaimer: I stake no claim to the Ace Combat Universe.

Story by: Leonardo1123581321

**Author's Note:**

It's a triple update bonanza! The following stories:

The Nentuoinai no Sato

Ace Combat: Frozen Winds and Burnt Skies

Oyabun

were all updated at the same time. If you haven't had the chance to read the other two fics, now is the time. Now on to the main author's notes.

To start, thanks for the reviews. I didn't expect this story to go as well as it did. Anyway, someone asked about the alliances in this story so to avoid further confusion, I've made a list of all of them:

Osean Federation  
Superweapons- Covenant-Dove

Union of Yuktobanian Republics  
Superweapons- Jormund, Nidhogg

Triple Alliance: Republic of Ustio, Kingdom of Sapin, Principality of Belka  
Superweapons- Hywelbane

Aurelia-Leasath Treaty: Federal Republic of Aurelia, Democratic Republic of Leasath  
Superweapons- Gleipnir , Fenrir

Independent State Allied Forces: All of Mainland Usea  
Superweapons-Mjolnir

**Ace Combat  
Frozen Winds and Burnt Skies**

_A Generation of Aces_

An Article by: Albert Gennete

Part II

"A Forgotten Hero"

I spent a good amount of time trying to track down the next ace, who became something of a ghost after the 'War'. In my time searching for this ace, Gryphus 1's words wouldn't stop haunting me. The last known records of this pilot suggested he had broken out of a mental institution. He had been committed for the same reason I was writing this article: Obsession with Oranos 1.

He lived in a small farming community just a few miles outside Directus. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on the hero of the Belkan War: "Demon Lord". Of course, most of Ustia had disowned him as a crackpot, which seemed ironic after he sacrificed everything fighting to defend the Triple Alliance: More than once, this pilot has swallowed his pride, his beliefs and so much more, all in the name of the Triple Alliance.

I found the 'Demon Lord' at a usual haunt of his. He was in a graveyard, standing in front of a gravestone with teary eyes. I approached him nervously. The way the setting sun gleamed against his silhouette sent chills down my spine. His face was somber but the rest of body seemed to tense up.

"Cipher?" I asked him. He looked at me, "I take it you're a reporter."

I nodded. It unnerved me to feel his gaze traveling up and down; He was a predator, examining a new creature as if to determine whether it was prey or to be avoided.

"I guess you're here to mock me like the rest of those reporters."

"Mock you? No, 'Cipher', I was hoping for an interview. I've spent a good amount of time tracking you down. I was hoping for at least a few words."

"Humph…Interview…yeah right," he said coldly. He shrugged me off and walked away but I persisted. I badgered him all the way back to his car until he finally told me he'd do it if I agreed to leave him alone and ask no questions about Coliseum. He took me to a small farm just south of the graveyard and, needless to say, it gave off the same air as this pilot. The farm was filled with many interesting plants, and had quite the terrain to it. Oddly enough, it was covered in a white powder that made the area seem like it was covered in snow. Several fog machines created a steamy mist that hovered just over the ground. 'Cipher' had remodeled the farm in the design of 'Coliseum'.

"That's an interesting landscape there," I said to him, hoping to breaking the solid wall of ice that had formed between us.

He gave no answer. His look told me not to press the issue further.

"So…could you tell me about the destruction of the Hywelbane?" I asked him as he began to put away several model planes which were in fact exact replicas of the planes used by every squadron from Aurelia to Yuktobania.

"Hywelbane," he began, "was a superweapon based on a remodeled Excalibur. It was similar in design, but its range was greater. To power that range, it used several nuclear power plants. It was…unnerving, having to defend that thing. We could nail targets as far as Oured but because of it we hardly saw any action. Galm squadron was tasked on protecting it. Heck, that's all we did…until…"

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Location: Solis Ortus, Ustio

Status of Coliseum: Currently controlled by the Triple Alliance

October 2035

1221, Ustian Standard Time

Current Events: _(This is a section to display what happens in between in each pilot's flashback during their interview. Yes they will be in chronological order.)_

The Triple Alliance creates the Hywelbane

Osea enters the war

Yuktobania closes its borders and begins a communications black-out with the rest of the world

Osea invades and captures the capital of Sapin

The Aurelia-Leasath Treaty invades southern Sapin

Aurelia-Leasath Treaty signs a peace accord with Osea.

Aurelia-Leasath Treaty and Osea issue an ultimatum to the Ustian government

"It's weird…having to protect that thing," Galm 1 said over his radio. He had originally protested its creation and brought it up with all the staff and higher ups back at the base. They said it was out of their hands.

"Yeah…after we had to destroy its prdecessor…" Galm 2 said. The two F-15s drew their path across the sky, leaving trails of white smoke. The white smoke trailed around in a perfect circle, creating a white halo around the massive tower that jutted out from the ground. At several thousand feet high, the Hywelbane was designed to look exactly like a giant sword that jutted out of the ground. Galm 1 had though it funny, remembering stories a sword that was trapped in a stone.

Many people had tried to pull the sword out of the stone, knowing it would bring about peace in a war torn world. Everyone failed until one day a young boy pulled it out. He thought how ironic it would be if this giant sword was destroyed before it could bring about peace.

"Dammit! When are we gonna see some action? All we've done for months is guard this damn thing. I'm sick of this!" Galm 2 complained, pulling Galm 1 out of his train of thought.

"Well, the Aurelians, Oseans and Leasathians have been sending a lot of soldiers to the border. They could invade any day now. Maybe then you'll get your action. And if not, at least we have the Coliseum."

"…"

"You remember that interview you did for that Osean reporter?" Galm 1 remembered.

"Yeah…so where did you run off to?"

"No where important," Galm 1 wanted to avoid that question specifically. It would kill him if anyone ever found out.

"It's almost time for us to knock off. Where's Schawrze squadron?"

"I don't know. Command, this is Galm1 requesting permission to RTB."

"Roger, Galm 1. Galm squadron is cleared for RTB. Runway 2 is clear."

"Copy. Let's head home Larry."

"Galm 1. Please use codenames during a mission."

"Mission? All we do is fly in a circle for five hours in these pieces of crap!"

"Ye…wait. Did you see something on radar?"

"Negative. Maybe it's acting up again. These planes are out of date."

"I guess…wait, there it is again!"

"I saw it too! Command be advised: we have unidentified aircraft showing up on radar."

"Negative, Galm 1. Nothing's showing up on our radar."

"Well, I know I-"

BEEP! BEEP!

"WARNING, MISSILE ALERT!"

Galm 1 pulled hard to the left and narrowly avoided a missile. Galm 2 pulled to the right to avoid another missile. Galm squadron circled around and regrouped, "Galm 2, do you see anything."

"Negative, radar's clear. But, Whoa!"

A black X-02 missed the nose of Galm 2's F-15 by inches. Galm 1 eyes widened in fear; He could not believe the insignia he saw on the plane, "Razgriz?"

"What? Are you sure? No one's seen them in ages," Galm 2 declared.

"Dammit! Command, we have contact with hostile Osean fighters. I repeat, hostile Osean aircraft."

"Okay. We're scrambling all…what in the?"

Galm 1 looked in the direction of air base. A massive aircraft the size of the Hresvelgr appeared right on top of the base. A light began to glow at the bottom of the craft.

"What is that thing?"

"A Gleipnir?"

"Oh my god! We're going to die!"

"Calm down! Get your plane in the air now, we can still win if we get up there and help the Demon Lord."

"R-Right."

There was a blinding flash. Galm 1's radio was filled with screams of terror that faded into static.

"What…what was that 'Cipher'?"

Galm 1 could feel his hand shaking. The air base had vanished in the blink of an eye. Every hangar, every plane, building, vehicle, pilot, mechanic…everyone had vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Blaze, was that the Gleipnir?" said a feminine voice. Galm 1 looked down at his radio. He couldn't believe it. The plane was so out of date that the radio picked up enemy communications.

"Dammit! What are those Aurelians and Leasathians doing? All Osean aircraft form up behind us!" came another voice, presumably Blaze, "Edge, on my six! Archer and Swordsman, form up and lead your units against the Hywelbane!"

"This is the Commander of the Gleipnir. All aircraft engage the Oseans and the Ustians!"

"What the hell are they doing?" demanded a third voice. Galm 1 looked back at the giant aircraft. Someone had called it a Gleipnir. Why did that name sound so familiar? The Gleipnir left behind the destruction that was formerly an Ustian Air Base. Galm 1's radar went crazy again, "What the?"

A multitude of aircraft had appeared on the radar. He counted around 80 planes all converging on him and Galm 2. He scanned the skies around him. His eyes widened. The once clear sky was filled with the fierce fighting of two groups of planes. Galm 1 could not believe it. Both the Oseans and the Aurelia-Leasath Treaty invaded at the same time.

"Galm 2 break formation and look alive. These guys aren't friendly," he barked.

"Copy. Confirmed 25 Aurelian aircraft, 16 Leasathian, 45 Osean…Damn! They really caught us with our pants down."

Galm 1 and Galm 2 went their separate ways. All around Galm 1 explosions went off left and right. In just a few short seconds, 3 opposing armies had converged on one spot.

"Gryphus 3! Circle around and focus on the Razgriz. Gyphus 5, follow me. We'll take the Oseans. The rest of you protect the Gleipnir," declared the familiar voice of Gryphus 1. Galm 1 broke left and chased after a stray F-22. He fired several shots at it before he it was hit with a sidewinder. He broke left and took chase of a MiG-21.

"This is the crew of Hywelbane. We're warming her up. Galm squadron, protect the generators until we can get it ready," said the crew chief. Galm 1's jaw dropped at the statement. He shot the MiG-21 before shouting, "How the hell are we going to protect the generators with 2 planes in this fuzz ball? I can't even confirm the kills! Let alone tell who I'm shooting at."

"I don't know. We've called for reinforcements. The closest squadron is the Belkan's Rot squadron. They're scrambling their aircraft right now. Please! You have to defend this thing until they arrive."

"Dammit!" Galm 1 shouted in anger, "Galm 2, conserve ammo and ordinance. It looks like we're on our own."

"Roger," Galm 2 said.

"Get ready, the AA and flak guns are functional. We're going to blanket the sky with anti-air fire!"

The sky filled with flak and bullet fire. Galm 1 did his best to weave in and out of both the friendly fire and the enemy fire. Unfortunately, the air became so thick with shrapnel, explosions, bullets and missiles that Galm 1 was forced to climb high above the effective range of the anti-air defenses.

"Watch your fire down there! You almost hit my tail!" Galm 1 growled when a flak shell went off next to his plane.

"Roger! All AA guns we're endangering the 'demon lord!' Focus your fire on the Gleipnir!"

The stream of bullets all converged on the floating fortress called the Gleipnir. The Gleipnir quickly disappeared as the first flak and AA guns hit the monstruous craft. Osean planes that were shooting at the Gleipnir exploded in mid air, the flaming wreckages hit the Earth below. Leasath and Aurelian aircraft that were defending Gleipnir broke their formation and scattered.

"Damn! It's gone!" the Hywelbane's crew chief groaned. The anti-aircraft fire diverted back to the enemy planes.

"Galm 2, report in," Galm 1 ordered.

"Bagged 3 bogies and I'm going after Razgriz 2."

Galm 1's plane did a barrel roll and narrowly avoided a missile fired from Gryphus 6. Galm 1 flew up straight into the sun. Gryphus 6 was blinded by the suns rays and didn't notice Galm 1 get behind him. Gryphus 6 ejected moments before Galm 1 destroyed his plane with a side winder. Suddenly, the radio was filled with a wild howl of joy.

"Looks like we're just in time. Galm squadron, this is Grun 1. What is the situation?"

"Grun 1? What are you doing here?" Galm 1 said in surprise.

"Us? We heard a report of enemy aircraft attacking the Hywelbane and were rerouted in the middle of a mission to assist you guys."

"Well, It's good to see you. We're going to get overrun here. The Oseans brought the Razgriz and the Aurelians and Leasathians brought a Gleipnir and Gryphus Squadron!"

"So where's Schawrze squadron?"

"Killed. By the Gleipnir."

"I see. Grun 2, Grun 3, take the Aurelians once we get in this fuzz ball. Grun 4, we're greeting the Razgriz!"

"Grun 1! Protect the power generators!" The Hywelbane's chief ordered.

Four green F/A-18's zoomed over Galm 1 as he shot down another plane. Galm 1 swore he saw Grun 2 wave at him. Then a stray missile that had missed its target collided with the nose of Grun 2's plane. He ejected moments before the plane crashed to the Earth below.

"This is the Hywelbane, we're ready to fire, all friendlies drop below 2000 feet."

Galm and Grun squadron followed the order and descended. They got so low, Galm 1 could see the people in the town below. He zoomed over a park in time to see some kids playing on slides, swigs and merry-go-rounds. Then an Aurelian plane crashed into the center of the playground, engulfing everyone in flames.Galm 1's eyes could only widen in horror.

"FIRE!" A beam of light shot out of the Hywelbane, eliminating any pilot unfortunate enough to have been in the way of the blast. When the beam faded away, six trails of smoke signaled the defeat of six pilots.

"That's the Hywelbane?" cried Edge.

"Archer? Swordsman? Do you copy? Guys!" cried Blaze.

"Damn! It barely missed us," came a young voice.

"That's the last time I cover your six," said the second.

"Okay guys, you heard the enemy transmission. Drop below 2000 feet," ordered Blaze. _Piece of Crap! _Galm 1 punched the radio as he ascended back into the fuzzball.

"This is Generator Facility 1! We're taking heavy fire! They've already destroyed a power conduit. We're rerouting the energy now but if it takes enemy more this place will get vaporized!"

Galm 1 looked directly at Generator 1 – a nuclear power plant directly below him- and saw several Osean A-10s flying low over several flaming towers.

Galm 1 turned his plane and took chase of each A-10. They cried out in help but the Hywelbane had already fired a second round, destroying 3 F-22s that were rushing to the A-10s' aid.

"This is Grun 3. Chase them over the lake. I'll catch them in the crossfire."

Galm 1 did as Grun 3 ordered and chased the A-10s over a lake. Several missiles appeared from directly above them and nailed each of the Attackers. The flaming wreckages crashed into the water below.

"Yeah!" Grun 3 cried. Grun 3 and Galm 1 then returned to the wild battle directly above them. Galm 1 shot down several more enemy aircraft, and watched as the tail of Grun 3's plane was shot by one of the Razgriz. Grun 3's plane spun out wildly out of control and collided with the plane of Gryphus 2. Both planes crashed into a lake below, sending a wave of water that panicked several beach goers. The civilians below took notice of the ongoing battle above them and immediately left the beach in a panic. As the last of them left, a Leasathian F-16 crashed into the beach below.

Galm 1 decided to take his revenge by getting behind Razgriz 2. The two pilots took turns playing cat and mouse in their dangerous game of survival. They weaved in and out of each other's missiles. Eventually, Galm 1 fired a missile Razgriz 2 couldn't avoid. Razgriz 2 turned left, right and barrel-rolled but she couldn't shake the missile. Galm 1 could hear her groan over the radio and smile at his soon to be kill. The missile got closer to her plane.

100 yards…

50 yards…

25 yards…

10 yards…

"EDGE!" Blaze cried in despair. A blue Gripen-C appeared, flew between Razgriz 2 and the missile. The missile changed target and went after the Gripen. The pilot led the missile straight into a Leasathian aircraft.

"Him again!?" Galm 1 shouted in frustration, "Galm 2, it's Oranos 1."

"Oranos 1? I've been waiting for this."

The 2 F-15s abandoned their targets and chased after the blue Gripen. It weaved in and out of their missiles, causing them to crash into Aurelian, Leasathian and Osean aircraft.

"Die!" Galm 1 roared as fired his guns at the plane. It decreased its speed enough to get behind both Galm 1 and Galm 2. Galm 2 cried out, "He's locked onto me!"

A single explosion was all Galm 1 saw. Time seemed to slow down around him. Galm 1 forgot all about the generators, the enemy planes and the blue Gripen. He forgot all about the battle around him. All he could see was Galm 2's plane. A chill ran down Galm 1's spine. Galm 2's plane caught fire at the engine. The fire spread, causing bits and pieces of Galm 2's plane to fly off. Eventually it reached the cockpit. From his own F-15, Galm 1 could see his friend trying to eject. Nothing happened. Galm 2's plane spiraled downwards and vanished into the lake below.

When Galm 1 became aware of his surroundings he circled around over Galm 2's crash site and prayed that Galm 2 was safe. A sudden explosion confirmed Galm 1's worst fears. Galm 2 was dead. He quickly scanned the skies again for the blue Gripen C. He saw it heading away from the battle field and quickly gave chase. The two planes began a game of cat and mouse in their attempt to kill each other. One for revenge, the other to protect his own life. The two went after one another and flew past a squadron of Typhoons painted red, white and gray.

"Galm 1, this is Rot 1. Where are you going?" Rot 1 demanded to know. The two F-15s and 1 Gripen flew past Rot Squadron without any sign of slowing down. Galm 1 ignored him and fired missile after missile at Oranos 1. Once he ran out of missiles, he used his guns. Eventually they ran out of ammo. Oranos 1 took this chance to circle around Galm 1. A single missile was fired. Galm 1 knew he couldn't avoid it and ejected from his plane.

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Galm 1 crashed a good 3 days walk from the closest air base. He spent those three days walking traveling the wilderness. He remembered fighting through hunger pains and fatigue. When he arrived, there were no cheers that he was alive. There was no celebration. Only scattered whispers. The base commander was the first to confront him. He chewed 'Demon Lord' out about abandoning the Hywelbane at a moment when it was most vulnerable. The Gleipnir demolished the Hywelbane, reducing it to rubble in one go. The Razgriz destroyed the Gleipnir shortly afterwards. Both the Osean and Aurelia-Leasath Treaty pilots fled the battle once the two super weapons were destroyed. The only surviving Triple Alliance pilots were Rot 1, Rot 2 and Grun 1.

The commander gave 'Demon Lord' one chance to explain himself. The commander laughed at what 'Demon Lord' said. Shortly afterwards, he was admitted to the mental institution. I looked at this once revered man and took pity on him. A document from the Ustain government stated he was admitted there by the Ustian Air Force for cowardice that stemmed from a mix of paranoia and insanity.

He was a hero who had been forsaken all because of one pilot.

With the interview done, I thanked him for his time and left. As I was halfway out the door he asked me if I was looking for Oranos 1. I nodded and told him it would be the interview of a lifetime. He told me to give up and just quit my search and go home. It was a futile effort.

"I'm not giving up," I assured him. He looked at me and called me a fool before slamming the door in my face. I felt a little dejected, but that didn't matter.

I returned to my search for Oranos 1 and to the work on my article. The next stop was a female pilot who went from a ghost to a demon. Her training officer once told her she would 'die real fast out there'. Since then, she's not only made him eat his words, she's become a hero to Osea, a demon among pilots, and a good friend.

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Author's Notes: That's all for now. I'll update this story as soon as I can. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


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